Ever After
by MeghanCullen8
Summary: Set during New Moon, begins in the meadow after Laurent was killed by the Wolves. A very unlikely person comes to rescue Bella, who is it? And why does she fall in love with him? What happens after their graduation from high school?
1. Chapter 1

Set during New Moon, begins in the meadow after Laurent was killed by the Wolves. A very unlikely person comes to rescue Bella, who is it? And why does she fall in love with him? What happens after their graduation from high school and then their marriage?

BxJ I tried to stay true to the characters, not really OOC.

**Bella's POV**

**Chapter 1 **

**The pain**

I stayed motionless on the ground, horrified. Laurent had just been driven off by the huge wolves that everyone in Forks was so worried about. I didn't know what to do. Physically I felt as though I could not move, I felt paralyzed. I clutched at my sides trying to keep myself together, trying to keep myself whole. Trying to keep the gaping area where my love for Edward had once been intact. I laid there for a while trying to get enough strength up to scream, or at least make some sort of noise that would let any hiker near by that I was there and in desperate need of help. I was scared. What could measly wolves do to a Vampire? Even if they were bigger than any wolf I had ever seen, though I had never seen one in person before today I was pretty sure that they didn't normally grow to be that big. Laurent had look terrified as the pack of wolves closed in on him then took off running after him. Laurent would be back, I knew it in my soul… Victoria, she too would be back, she was hunting for me just as I had feared.

Hours passed by and I realized that it was starting to get dark and humid. I knew that rain would be coming soon; I could smell it in the air. I didn't care anymore. I could lay here for the rest of my life, just wither away to nothing. I had heard HIS voice today, when Laurent was about to kill me. HE told me to lie, to tell Laurent that THEY were still here, that way maybe Laurent wouldn't kill me. I knew I was going crazy, as much as I wanted to believe that he'd come back to me some day I just knew that, that would never happen. I started crying just as the rain started to fall onto my face. The rain drops mixed with my salty tears like fresh water mixing with ocean water in a river. The rain started coming down harder as I fell into a restless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**The rainbows on the floor**

I dreamt that someone was walking towards me in the meadow. I knew that I knew this person but I couldn't quite figure out who it was. He was very familiar to me. I dreamt that he came over to me and whispered something into my ear, though I could not understand what he was saying because my body was convulsing from the cold and I was sobbing uncontrollably. Then, nothing. Everything was black; I heard no noises and saw nothing but blackness.

***

When I woke up I realized that I was in a somewhat familiar place the sun was raising a little and I could just barely make out the shapes of things around me. Behind the Cullen's house there was a cottage, this place was run down and had none of the necessities that a mere human needed, like heat, electricity, or running water. Edward had brought me here a couple of times before he left so we could be alone… Edward… How it pained me to even think of his name. Just thinking of it that once really did me in. Struggling to stay conscious after thinking his name, I realized that I was lying on some sort of a cot I had many blankets wrapped around me and I was in dry clothes. I laid under the blankets wrapping my arms around my torso trying so desperately to keep myself in one piece; I sobbed uncontrollably into the pillow my head was laying on.

Next thing I knew it was sunny and bright outside. I thought to myself that I must not be in Forks anymore and that I probably wasn't in that little cottage behind the house, because it's very rare for it to be sunny like this. I could feel the heat radiating in through the window. In the corner something moved, it was very quick but I definitely saw something move through the light that was streaked across the floor. I saw rainbows dancing across the floor. I immediately thought I knew who it was. It was HIM; HE had come back to me. I suddenly felt better than I had been feeling for the past couple of months. I could tell that my voice would be hoarse because my throat was so dry. I mustered up the courage to speak aloud what I had been hoping in my head. "Hello? Is someone else there? Edward," I choked out his name. "Is that you?" I could hear someone breathing across the room from me now. It was a soft and painful sound. I had heard that sound before, when Edward and I first met, after learning what he really was, I realized that his breathing, for lack of a better word, was so weird sounding because it was all he could do to keep from killing me. Every breath he took burned his throat, he tried to hold his breath but the need for my blood kept growing stronger and stronger.

A few minutes later the thing in the corner started to move. I was suddenly very frightened, what if it was Victoria? Surely Edward would have said something to me by now; maybe he was waiting to see my reaction, to see if I was going to be angry or if I was going to welcome him back into my life. Wait a second; I paused in my thinking, why should I welcome him back? He's the one that left me in the first place. As much as I loved him I just couldn't believe that he'd ever come back to me. He had told me that he didn't love me any more.

I looked in the direction of the movement, straining my eyes, and realized immediately who it was; I took a breath of relief once I noticed that it was Jasper and not Victoria, although it was not who I was desperately hoping it would be. As I took a deep breath I took in that sweet smell I had once loved so much, the smell of a vampire, a good vampire, like Alice had smelled, and Edward. Oh how I missed this smell. I could tell the difference between a good vampire and a bad vampire, when I had my "accident" with James last year he smelled so different, Edward had once explained to me that the different vampire diets caused a different smell. Vampires who drank the blood of animals had a sweet smell whereas vampires who drank human blood had a more musky smell. This was definitely a sweet smell.

Though the events of my birthday party flashed through my mind- a small paper cut leading to Jasper attacking and trying to kill me, Edward throwing me across the room to save me from Jasper, making me land on the table with my cake, slicing my arm open on broken crystal plates, and then ultimately Edward leaving me- I was happy to see Jasper. I had never gotten the chance to tell him that it was okay what had happened. He was still new to being a vegetarian and I honestly couldn't blame him for attacking me the way he did. He was innocent but Edward just didn't see it that way.

"Hello Bella." He said, smiling at me in the way that only a Cullen could his white teeth reflecting what little light shone into the corner where he was sitting.

"Oh, Jasper, You have no idea how thankful I am that it's you…" I paused, "I thought you were Victoria." I shuddered thinking back to my run in with Laurent and then back the year before to my attack from James.

"I'm sorry if I scared you…" He looked genuinely worried. He moved towards me, hesitating slightly.

"It's okay," I struggled to sit up but realized that I was wrapped very tightly in the blankets and there fore could not move. As soon as Jasper realized what I was trying to do he ran over to me in a blur, loosened the blankets from underneath me and helped me to sit up. Sitting up _too_ quickly everything became blurry and my head started feeling extremely light, Jasper, who was still standing next to me swooped down and gently placed one hand behind my head and the other around my waist as if to give me a hug. The smell that radiated off from him made me feel better. He held me upright for a few seconds until I regained my composure. "What are you doing here?" I asked him once I had the ability to speak. He let me go and stood up walking across the room back to his corner, saying nothing. "Jasper?" I asked suddenly getting extremely worried.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**The confessions**

"Jasper?" I asked again, my voice only a whisper. I stared at him as the moments passed. After a few seconds he broke the silence.

"I'm here to save you, Bella." His voice trembled a bit.

"What do you mean save me? I'm already safe, aren't I?" I was confused; he had already saved me, from Laurent, hadn't he?

"No, not necessarily." He started pacing from one corner to another and I could tell that he was thinking of what to say next. I straightened myself up on the bed and crossed my legs, my eyes never leaving Jasper. While I was waiting for him to continue, I mindlessly traced the crescent shaped scar on my wrist. Deciding that he wasn't going to be continuing any time soon, I spoke.

"Who, or what, are you "saving" me from?" I shuddered to think that there was something or someone else after me. Confusion radiated off from me. Instantly I felt a wave of serenity wash over me. I quickly forgot my fears about something or someone being after me, but I was still thinking about them.

"I- I really don't know how to tell you. I suppose I should start from the beginning, shouldn't I?" He chuckled a little and I could tell that it wasn't a humorous chuckle, but a nervous one. I shrugged trying to lighten the mood.

"I suppose you should then." I patted the bed beside me. "Here, come sit down and tell me everything." He hesitated but eventually came over to the bed and sat crossed legged like me. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Well, it all started after your, your, birthday," He spat out. "I kept telling Alice that I needed to go and talk to you. To tell you how sorry I was about everything, but she wouldn't hear of it. She was furious with me. I really didn't mean to do what I did. My instincts took over once you cut your finger and it all went down hill from there." I nodded and traced along where my scar on my arm from where the shattered plates sliced me open. He noticed what I was doing and gave me an apologetic look. "Well," He sighed again. "I don't really know what happened next. After Edward," I cringed at the sound of HIS name. Jasper noticed this and quickly became upset with himself. "I'm so terribly sorry; I really didn't know how much saying his name out loud would hurt you. I won't do it again, I promise." I uncrossed my legs and brought my knees up to my chest hugging them tightly, trying to keep the hole from growing bigger. I nodded for him to continue while I fought back the tears. "After _he_ brought you home and then came back everything happened so quickly. It was decided in a matter of seconds, by _him_ alone that we would all be moving to Alaska. _He _couldn't bear to hurt you again. After that I was having divorce papers shoved into my face by Alice. She was so upset with me for trying to hurt you that she wouldn't listen to me. Her anger was so full and deep rooted that whenever I tried to calm her down, nothing happened. Eventually we moved to Alaska and stayed with the Denali clan for awhile. Everything was going as well as to be expected until one day, a few days ago, Alice came running up to me in a panic. Although we weren't legally married anymore we still talked and tried to remain friends. One night a week or two after our move she slipped up and confessed to almost attacking you herself. Her anger quickly dissipated once I knew the truth and we've been cordial ever since." He half smiled, pausing, to look into my eyes.

His eyes were light gold, and I could tell that he had recently been hunting. While I was staring back into his eyes, I quickly watched them turn from the light gold to almost black and then back again. It was so fast that if I had blinked I would have missed it. After a moment everything started to go hazy and I realized that I had stopped breathing. A worried look crossed his face. I took a deep breath in and then felt much better. He smiled at me. Had Edward always dazzled me _this_ much? I wondered. I was surprised at myself when I thought of his name. It was almost as though something inside of me clicked. Edward had broken my heart, shattered it into a million pieces. Why was I always so upset when I thought of his name? It all seemed so stupid now. When I looked at Jasper, I saw something I hadn't seen before. I wasn't sure what it was, yet, but I knew that I soon would.

I closed my eyes trying to think. Edward. Edward. Edward. That name meant absolutely nothing to me now. I opened my eyes to see that Jasper was still sitting in the same exact position, staring at my face. Everything was the same except for the fact that his beautiful face held a different expression than it had before. It previously held worry and concern, now it hosted something else, something I wasn't sure about, this expression looked a lot like adoration. No, no, I must be mistaken. That was just silly. I smiled to myself, pleased, that I had finally gotten over Edward. I said his name and nothing happened. The hole in my chest was all but gone, and I felt almost like myself again. It was fantastic. Among my revelations I realized that Jasper had said something about Alice running up to him in a panic. I immediately wanted to know more. He was still looking at me with that same expression, this time it had a hint of confusion as he looked at my lips and the smile that was plastered on them.

"Wait a second." I said as I giggled. "Why did Alice come running up to you like that? What was wrong?"


End file.
